Fortworth Weekly: Dirty Water Under the Bridge- Tom “Smitty” Smith, Texas state director of the Public Citizen watchdog group, said there are a dozen bodies of water in Texas where the fish are so contaminated by mercury that health authorities warn against eating them. For 10 of those 12, he said, “the largest contributor [of mercury pollution] is a nearby coal plant.”

Checkered past of doctor recently charged in 4 killings fell through the cracks in Illinois

Newsday: Vitamins from LI tainted with anabolic steroids- Between 2008 and 2011, the FDA received 6,307 reports of health problems related to dietary supplements.Dr. Sidney Wolfe of the consumer watchdog organization Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said supplements should be regulated under the same rules for over-the-counter drugs.

Angus King bill hopes to cut excessive government regulations

7/31/2013

Portland Press Herald: Angus King bill hopes to cut excessive government regulations- “Reviewing rules to see if they need to be adjusted is a good idea in theory, but this bill sets up a process with a pre-determined outcome of eliminating public protections,” Amit Narang, regulatory policy advocate at Public Citizen, said in a statement. “Any kind of oversight commission should have a much more balanced mission and be empowered to look for regulatory gaps – to help prevent the next contaminated food outbreak or oil spill.”

Outpatient Surgery: The Most Dangerous Job in America?- These findings, published in a recent report by the Washington, D.C.-based non-profit Public Citizen, highlight what the group sees as a shortfall in attention to the safety and health of the nation's professional caregivers.

It’s all about the money

7/29/2013

Community Word: It’s all about the money- According to Public Citizen, a progressive advocacy group, millions and millions of those dollars are being laundered through shadowy outside groups like Carl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, the Koch’s Affiliated for Prosperity, and that leading big business trade association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Bloomberg: JPMorgan Accused of Energy-Market Manipulation by U.S. Agency- “I do not see a positive role in the way that these banks are operating in these markets,” Tyson Slocum, director of the energy program at Public Citizen, a Washington-based consumer-advocacy group, said in a phone interview. “I don’t understand the value added to reliability, to efficiency.”

The Bulletin: Blocking Generics - Part of the problem, said Dr. Michael Carome, director of the health research group at Washington, D.C.-based consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, is the FDA doesn't take into account whether a new drug, like Delzicol, truly represents a step forward when granting approval.

The "Unusual" Yet Ubiquitous Left-Right Alliance

7/29/2013

Truthout: The "Unusual" Yet Ubiquitous Left-Right Alliance: Towards an Anti-Establishment Center - "Few could have predicted the trend we’re seeing now: Amid calls for austerity, some green groups are aligning with conservative think tanks to push for cuts to environmentally harmful programs. The odd alliance kicked off last month when Friends of the Earth and Public Citizen teamed up with Taxpayers for Common Sense and the conservative Heartland Institute for their 'Green Scissors' report, focusing on cuts to everything from ethanol and oil tax credits to timber subsidies." [Washington Post, September 14, 2011]

Dentist who used copyright to silence her patients is on the run

7/28/2013

ArsTechnica: Dentist who used copyright to silence her patients is on the run- Lee got in touch with attorney Paul Levy at Public Citizen, who has a history of taking on Internet free-speech issues, and was looking for a way to challenge the Medical Justice contract. In November 2011, Public Citizen filed a lawsuit seeking class action status, arguing that Lee’s reviews were fair use and non-defamatory.

Examiner.com: Effort to push for NY resolution to amend Constitution now under way - On Wednesday, July 24th, Move to Amend and Public Citizen co-hosted a webinar on lobbying the New York State Senate for a resolution to Congress calling on them to pass an amendment to overturn the Citizens United v FEC decision of 2010. To date, 16 other states have either passed resolutions or the majority of legislators have signed a letter to that effect.

Ralph Nader's new cause: Tort law museum in Conn.

7/28/2013

Associated Press: Ralph Nader's new cause: Tort law museum in Conn. - Nader, who twice ran for president and still works at the nonprofit advocacy organization Public Citizen, has been pursuing the idea for the museum for years only to run into several roadblocks. But he said he has raised about $2 million, a museum design firm has been hired, and renovations are set to begin in the fall. He expects the museum to be established in the next two years.

Off the Kuff: More leftover campaign cash - “There’s actually quite a lot of room for lawmakers to finagle their own campaign budgets,” said Craig Holman, a campaign finance expert at the liberal advocacy group Public Citizen.

LaRouche PAC: July 26th, 2013 Podcast - According to the Public Citizen website, in 2009 more than 900 ex-government officials, including 70 former Members of Congress, lobbied for the Financial Services Sector. Today that number is even greater. More than 940 former Federal employees are Federal lobbyists.

Dems Introduce Bill to Eliminate Mandatory Arbitration

7/26/2013

Maryland Malpractice Lawyer Blog: Dems Introduce Bill to Eliminate Mandatory Arbitration - A 2012 report by Public Citizen, a consumer-oriented advocacy group, and the National Association of Consumer Advocates found that judges nationwide had thrown 76 potential class action cases out of court after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in 2011 that, not only is it all right for companies to put clauses in their contracts forcing customers to settle disputes in private arbitration, but they can also bar customers from bringing class action lawsuits against them or even arbitrating their disputes as a class.

Diabetes Drugs’ Pancreas Risk Not Backed by Evidence: EMA

7/26/2013

Bloomberg: Diabetes Drugs’ Pancreas Risk Not Backed by Evidence: EMA - GLP-1-based medicines approved for use in the European Union include Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s Byetta, Novo Nordisk A/S (NOVOB)’s Victoza and Merck & Co.’s Januvia. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found increased pre-cancerous changes in diabetes patients using this class of drugs, the Washington-based public advocacy group Public Citizen said when the research was published.

Groups push for release of final device identifier rule

7/26/2013

FierceHealthIT: Groups push for release of final device identifier rule - In a letter to OMB Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell earlier this month, 18 groups noted that owners of recalled cars have more information than patients with dangerously defective pacemakers. Those groups include Consumers Union, Public Citizen and the National Women's Health Network.

Huma Abedin faces questions about dual jobs

7/26/2013

Fox News: Huma Abedin faces questions about dual jobs - Craig Holman of Public Citizen, a government ethics watchdog group, says Abedin's dual status raises serious questions. "If this story pans out that Huma actually had access to inside information while serving as a government official but at the same time serving as a strategic consultant to a firm that actively trades in the stock market, this could be quite a problem, " he said.

Talk Radio News Service: Thursday, July 25: Conflict mineral rule survives legal test- The law was challenged as an infringement of corporate Free Speech rights by three trade associations—National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable—whose members acquire diamonds and other minerals from the Congo. Public Citizen and Amnesty International said the rule will provide critical information to investors and consumers.

AOL News: The Most Dangerous Industry For Workers - "I think a lot of the reasons may have to do with people being on medication, and being off medication," explains Keith Wreightson, the work safety and health advocate at Public Citizen's Congress Watch, and a co-author of the report. He believes many of the violent incidents occur in psychiatric facilities, and in general, "a lot of people are not particularly happy to be in a health care facility. They're angry."

Reuters: U.S. drugmakers cheer 'speed lane' for breakthrough therapies- "A discussion on this topic is reckless if it doesn't discuss the next stage after the drug reaches the market," said Sidney Wolfe, co-founder and senior adviser to Public Citizen's Health Research Group, a watchdog organization that has frequently criticized the FDA for approving, or failing to withdraw, drugs it considers unsafe.

The Courant: State Medical Board Is Too Slow- The Public Citizen Health Care Research Group, which looks at medical boards nationwide and ranks Connecticut's fairly low, suggests that ours be fully funded directly from physician license fees, as happens in most other states.

The GOP's Plan B to Kill Elizabeth Warren's Consumer Watch Dog

7/23/2013

Mother Jones: The GOP's Plan B to Kill Elizabeth Warren's Consumer Watch Dog- Another would "totally remake regulatory process," says Amit Narang, an expert on the federal regulatory process at the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, by adding tons of new analytical and procedural steps for each new rule created at all agencies. "This is really an attempt to try to gut agencies across the board, in the same way they've been trying to gut the CFPB since its inception," Narang says.

'If You Create The Democracy You Want To Have...' - An Afternoon With Jim Hightower

Roll Call: Blame the IRS or Fix It? | Rules of the Game- “It’s quite clear that the blurry standards are what led to the potential misconduct,” said Lisa Gilbert, director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch. “The hearings so far have focused on that potential misconduct, and we haven’t seen a shift to discussing solutions.”

A Dose of Citizens United Reality

7/23/2013

Blog for Iowa: A Dose of Citizens United Reality - Public Citizen, Move to Amend and others have organized, launched petitions, and convinced legislators in 16 states, the District of Columbia, and about 500 municipalities to support overturning Citizens United.

OSHA Launches Safe-Patient-Handling Campaign Amid Criticism

7/23/2013

Shrm.org: OSHA Launches Safe-Patient-Handling Campaign Amid Criticism - In a recently published report, the consumer-advocacy group Public Citizen charged that OSHA’s insufficient inspections at health care facilities and lack of an ergonomic safety standard are failing health care workers, who suffer more injuries than workers in any other occupational sector.

Occupational Health News Roundup

7/22/2013

ScienceBlogs: Occupational Health News Roundup- OSHA and Public Citizen: Public Citizen has just released a report on healthcare workers’ high injury and illness rates and the inadequacy of federal protections for workers who care for patients’ health.

Supreme Court Rules Drug Companies Exempt From Lawsuits Regardless of Harm or Death Caused By Medications

Health Leaders Media: UDI Final Rule Still Pending - "Unfortunately, however, the UDI (unique device identification) rule has encountered delays at every step of the process," says a July 3 letter from 18 consumer groups, including Breast Cancer Action, Public Citizen, and Consumer's Union, to Sylvia Mathews Burwell, OMB director.

Kaiser Health News: Health Care Professionals Face Workplace Risks, On-The-Job Injuries- Healthcare workers -- particularly nurses, nurses' aides, orderlies, and attendants -- suffer more musculoskeletal injuries than those working in any other field, a Public Citizen report found. Those injuries cost the U.S. about $7 billion each year, according to the Public Citizen report, which was written by Keith Wrightson and Taylor Lincoln, both of the organization's Congress Watch division.

OSHA Wants Ergonomic Conditions for Hospital Workers

7/21/2013

B2C: OSHA Wants Ergonomic Conditions for Hospital Workers- Watchdog group Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division released a report on July 17 that pointed out that while healthcare workers are at a significantly higher risk for the musculoskeletal disorders, the industry only receives a small percentage of attention from OSHA when compared to other high-risk injuries.

The Washington Post: Does Dodd-Frank work? We asked 16 experts to find out - Bartlett Naylor, financial policy advocate for Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division: “Seven years after the crash, the debate about solutions has grown better than expected, with more sophisticated arguments and actual progress on leverage requirements, a sophisticated Glass-Steagall reconstitution plan, and talk from Republicans about size limits…”

Tulsa World: Action Line: Richard Cordray's confirmation is victory for consumers-Public Citizen: The bureau was created in the aftermath of the financial crisis to protect Americans from the predatory practices of banks, lenders, securities firms, debt collectors and other institutions that have repeatedly abused power when left unchecked. In just two years, it has made several important contributions to the lives of Americans.

In These Times: Heat wave prompts strike at Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s- “It’s really just typical of every lack of a standard that we have seen at OSHA. Anything that requires a rulemaking because of the bureaucratic fighting with Congress, OSHA is very hesitant to do because of what is involved in fighting with Congress,” says Sammy Almashat, a research associate with Public Citizen. “When you talk about a standard such as heat that would be wide ranging across industries, obviously the political opposition is going to be quite wide, which is why we don’t have a heat standard rule today. Its really a case study of what's wrong with OSHA today that they haven’t issued a standard that has been recommended for 41 years.”

Los Angeles Times: JPMorgan may settle California energy market manipulation case - "FERC has managed to catch a small fraction of the very complex manipulation schemes engineered by sophisticated banks, and we're just seeing a tip of the iceberg," said Tyson Slocum, energy program director at the advocacy group Public Citizen in Washington, D.C. "The manipulation is so widespread that FERC is simply catching what it can."

Nurse.com: Report: Healthcare worker safety needs closer monitoring- "OSHA is required by law to ensure safe conditions for every employee in the United States," Keith Wrightson, worker safety and health advocate for Public Citizen and co-author of the report, said in a news release. "The record is clear that the government has broken its promise to healthcare workers."

Pittsburgh City Paper: Changing Climate-Change Climate?- Watchdog group Public Citizen said the president's plan fell short of launching the "national mobilization" needed to confront this incipient crisis. Worse, said Public Citizen president Robert Weissman, Obama's "all of the above strategy" to increase domestic oil and gas production — and even exports — is a "disaster" that threatens to offset the good the plan might do, including further development of renewable energy.

PhRMA: Compounders Just Drugmakers by Another Name

7/17/2013

BioWorld: PhRMA: Compounders Just Drugmakers by Another Name- "Rather than strengthening the oversight of traditional pharmacy compounding, any of these bills, if enacted, would undermine the strict legal standards for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of manufactured drugs that have been in place in the U.S. for more than half a century," Michael Carome, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said in comments submitted to the subcommittee.

Health care employees suffer more on-the-job injuries and illnesses than other workers

7/17/2013

Dallas Morning News: Health care employees suffer more on-the-job injuries and illnesses than other workers- Still, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducts relatively few inspections of health care facilities and is hamstrung in its ability to take action to resolve unsafe conditions, according to a new report by Public Citizen. “OSHA is required by law to ensure safe conditions for every employee in the United States,” said Keith Wrightson, worker safety and health advocate for Public Citizen and a co-author of the report.

READER POLL: Who Should Administer .Pharmacy Domain Names?

7/17/2013

Pharmalive: READER POLL: Who Should Administer .Pharmacy Domain Names?-“Granting the pharmacy domain to NABP would confer legitimacy on pharmacies sanctions by NABP to the detriment of those that are not,” writes Peter Maybarduk, who heads the Global Access to Medicines program at Public Citizen, the consumer advocacy group, in a letter to ICANN earlier this year.

The Fiscal Times: Senate Calls Ceasefire in Nomination Battle- Bart Naylor, a former investigator for the Senate Banking Committee and a financial policy analyst for the advocacy group Public Citizen, described himself as “giddy.” “The win is this big: I'm holding my arms out as far as they go--5 feet 11 and two-thirds inches,” Naylor said, adding that he hopes the CFPB continues to be “the hyper energetic teenager it is today.”

House Inches Toward Oversight of Compounding

7/17/2013

MedPage Today: House Inches Toward Oversight of Compounding- Public Citizen's Health Research Group, a consumer organization often at odds with PhRMA, criticized both Griffith's draft bill and the Senate bill along lines similar to PhRMA's, saying the Senate bill would create a "second, substandard tier of drug manufacturers, confusingly called 'compounding manufacturers,'" which would not be required to get new drug approval by the FDA or comply with the standard federal labeling requirements.

The Queens Gazette: Vallone Files Election Petitions, Comrie Bows Out Of BP Race - In support of the bill, Lisa Gilbert, of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch, stated: “Since the ill-fated 2010 decision of Citizens United, corporations have been able to spend money freely on elections, and often do so by giving funds to ‘dark money’ organizations not required to disclose the identities of their donors. But investors have a right to know how their money—a corporation’s profits—is being spent. The trouble is, there is no requirement that companies share this information.”

FDA Moves to Improve Generic Drug Label Warnings

7/17/2013

Main Street: FDA Moves to Improve Generic Drug Label Warnings- "Almost two years ago, in August 2011, Public Citizen submitted a citizen petition to the FDA asking it to revise its labeling rules to fill the safety gap," Sidney Wolfe, founder and senior adviser, Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said in a statement. "The FDA's proposal suggests that the agency plans to grant that petition."

Washington Post: How Congress might have already tied Obama’s hands in trade negotiations- “There are a lot of members who’re saying, ‘you’ve treated me abysmally, why would I give myself handcuffs involuntarily?’” says Lori Wallach of Public Citizen, which opposes fast track. ”It means the president can dictate domestic policy on a whole range of issues. And they can implement all sorts of unpopular provisions, and superglue them into a trade agreement.”

Colorado congressmen rack up frequent flier miles on other people’s dimes

7/17/2013

The Daily Caller: Colorado congressmen rack up frequent flier miles on other people’s dimes- Craig Holman, a spokesman from the watchdog group Public Citizen, told 9News said groups like the Aspen Institute — which funded much of DeGette’s travels, including a five-day $7,000 jaunt to Spain to attend a forum on U.S.-Russia relations — can have undue influence on legislators. “It becomes part of the influence-peddling game,” Holman said. “We have now seen the number of travel junkets creep right back up to the pre-2007 levels. We’ve got a problem on our hands.”

Dr. Sid Wolfe: Consumer Health Advocate (7/16/13)

7/16/2013

The Diane Rehm Show: Dr. Sid Wolfe: Consumer Health Advocate (7/16/13) - Dr. Sid Wolfe is a guest on the show. Consumers may soon have more safety information about generic drugs, and they may also have the ability to sue manufacturers if they experience an adverse reaction. Dr Sid Wolfe says these changes are long overdue. As founder and senior advisor of the non–profit advocacy organization, Public Citizen, these are among hundreds of changes he’s pushed for over the last four decades.

How An Overhaul of Eminent Domain Law Failed In Texas

7/16/2013

NPR: State Impact: How An Overhaul of Eminent Domain Law Failed In Texas- “You had these two very large family interests,” Tom “Smitty” Smith, with Texas Public Citizen told StateImpact Texas. “The pipeline-owning Koch brothers and the landowners and oil-and-gas company Bass brothers. Fighting each other over both issues of principle and probably a significant amount of money.”

Approving The Keystone Pipeline Could Cost U.S. Consumers $3-4 Billion Per Year in Higher Gas Prices

Consumer Affairs: Gasoline prices are surging; here's why - In the first three months of 2013 the U.S. became a net exporter of gasoline. While the oil industry denies this has had any impact on domestic pump prices, the consumer group Public Citizen estimates it had added as much as 12 cents a gallon to what consumers pay.

RTT News: FDA Considering Review Of Generic Drug Label Policy - In an official statement, Public Citizen's Sidney Wolfe says the revision could prove critical: "When finalized, the revisions will fill a regulatory gap that poses a risk to patient safety. The proposed rule is a classic example of harm reduction. When finalized after public comments, it will provide added protection to the tens of millions of people who regularly use generic drugs."

Take the Red Pill Now (blog): Supreme Court rules Drug Companies exempt from Lawsuits - One industry critic was quoted by Reuters after the verdict. "Today's court decision provides a disincentive for generic makers of drugs to monitor safety of their products and to make sure that they have a surveillance system in place to detect adverse events that pose a threat to patients," Michael Carome, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group told the news outlet.

Supremes Say You Can’t Sue Generic Drug Makers But FDA May Change That

ZCommunications.org: America's Most Dynamic (Yet Under-Covered) Movement: Overturning 'Citizens United' - “Why does it matter how many states call for an amendment? Ultimately, an amendment will have to be ratified by three-fourths of the states. That’s thirty-eight. Four more and we’re halfway there,” says Rob Weissman, the president of Public Citizen, which is working with a burgeoning Corporate Reform Coalition of more than seventy groups nationwide. “But before that, an amendment must be passed by a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the US Congress.

Lawmaker wants to prohibit social media from using kids' photos in advertising

7/11/2013

The Republic: Lawmaker wants to prohibit social media from using kids' photos in advertising - "A federal law that offers protections to minors' privacy at a national level would be a good thing in that it would enhance the protection for minor children's privacy in the other 43 states that don't have specific protections," said Scott Michelman, an attorney for Public Citizen.

Bankrate.com: Hedge fund ads: Game changer?- "General solicitation for hedge funds must only be to sophisticated investors. Already, that's oxymoronic, since a person who doesn't know enough to find a broker in a phone book hardly qualifies as a sophisticated investor," says Bartlett Naylor, financial policy advocate for Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization in Washington, D.C.

SOPA Should Have Ended Backroom Deals About Copyrights & Patents; So Why Is TPP Still Secret?

Live Science: Preemie Study Triggers Debate Over Informed Consent - In an editorial published today (July 9) in the British Medical Journal, Dr. Sidney Wolfe, founder and senior adviser to the Health Research Group at Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, said the study conditions were "clearly experimental procedures" that differed from what would happen under normal circumstances.

Laleva.org: Supreme Court rules Drug Companies exempt from Lawsuits- "Today's court decision provides a disincentive for generic makers of drugs to monitor safety of their products and to make sure that they have a surveillance system in place to detect adverse events that pose a threat to patients," Michael Carome, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group told the news outlet.

Austin pays for staff’s trip to Amsterdam

7/8/2013

KVUE ABC: Austin pays for staff’s trip to Amsterdam- "Nothing substitute’s boots on the ground, but the question you have to ask yourself is, did we have to take all of these people?" argued Tom “Smitty” Smith, the director of Public Citizen, a taxpayer watchdog group in Austin.

Audi to Zappa See Trade Talks as Chance to Cut Rules

7/8/2013

Bloomberg: Audi to Zappa See Trade Talks as Chance to Cut Rules - “Such standards should not be subject to negotiations heavily influenced by corporations that would profit from the dismantling of those standards,” Ben Beachy, research director for trade issues at Public Citizen in Washington, said in a phone interview.

The Nation: America's Most Dynamic (Yet Under-Covered) Movement: Overturning 'Citizens United'- "Why does it matter how many states call for an amendment? Ultimately, an amendment will have to be ratified by three-fourths of the states. That’s thirty-eight. Four more and we’re halfway there,” says Rob Weissman, the president of Public Citizen, which is working with a burgeoning Corporate Reform Coalition of more than seventy groups nationwide. “But before that, an amendment must be passed by a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the US Congress. And one of the most effective ways to show a state’s representatives and senators in Washington, DC, that there is popular demand for an amendment is to pass a resolution back home.”

Teamster Nation: TAFTA delay good for workers- A recent Public Citizen blog, for instance, exposes that U.S. and European corporations want to use TAFTA to water down necessary agriculture, communications, energy production and financial safeguards.

RedOrbit: FDA Could Allow Generic Drugmakers To Update Safety Labels-Likewise, Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, a senior adviser to the Health Research Group at Public Citizen told the Times the rule changes were “common sense” and would allow individuals who were physically harmed by generic drugs to go to “court and get redress for serious damages.”

Pharmalive: FDA Proposes Rule To Allow Generic Drugmakers To Change Labeling- “Many potential hazards are not discovered until years after drugs have been on the market,” says Public Citizen’s Sidney Wolfe in a statement. “Yet, currently, drug manufacturers can do little to warn doctors and patients about newly discovered information, putting patients at risk. The proposed rule is a classic example of harm reduction. When finalized after public comments, it will provide added protection to the tens of millions of people who regularly use generic drugs.”

FDA to allow generic drug companies to update own warning information

7/5/2013

CBS News: FDA to allow generic drug companies to update own warning information- "We are extremely pleased to see that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced its plan to issue a proposed rule to revise FDA regulations about prescription drug labeling. When finalized, the revisions will fill a regulatory gap that poses a risk to patient safety," Dr. Sidney Wolfe, founder and senior adviser of the Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said in a statement.

USA Today: FDA moves to allow updates of generic drug warnings- "The proposed rule is a classic example of harm reduction," Dr. Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizen's health research group said in a statement. "When finalized…it will provide added protection to the tens of millions of people who regularly use generic drugs."

FDA Rule Could Make Generic Drugmakers Liable

7/4/2013

ABC News: FDA Rule Could Make Generic Drugmakers Liable- Consumer watchdog group Public Citizen applauded the FDA, having petitioned for a similar rule in 2011. "Many potential hazards are not discovered until years after drugs have been on the market," Public Citizen's Health Research Group founder Dr. Sidney Wolfe said in a statement. "Yet, currently, generic drug manufacturers can do little to warn doctors and patients about newly discovered information, putting patients at risk.".

The Fight Over Keeping Austin Weird

7/4/2013

Time: The Fight Over Keeping Austin Weird- “Many opponents said that this is kind of the wrong image — frivolous emissions, carbon and other pollutants into the air just for amusement purposes — for a city that wants to be seen as the most sustainable city in the United States,” Tom Smith, director of the Texas office of consumer-advocacy nonprofit Public Citizen, told Reuters.

The New York Times: F.D.A. Rule Could Open Generic Drug Makers to Suit - “It’s common sense,” said Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, a senior adviser to the Health Research Group at Public Citizen, which in 2011 petitioned the F.D.A. to pass just such a rule. “It will obviously end this situation where people are being harmed physically and yet, although they are harmed, they have no right to go into court and get redress for serious damages.”

Newsday: New rules for truck drivers take effect- The new hours-of-service rule was originally announced by the administration in December 2011 following a series of lawsuits from Public Citizen, a nonprofit advocacy group that re-filed its ongoing lawsuit over the hours-of-service rule in February 2012.

Ecowatch: Trade Agreements threaten Food Safety and Promote GMOs- No wonder then that, according to leaked drafts obtained by groups like the CTC, Public Citizen and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, the TPP contains proposals designed to give transnational corporations “special rights” that go far beyond those possessed by domestic businesses and American citizens, says Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of the CTC.

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